Thief: Crimson Skyes
by Nemorian
Summary: Takes place before the first Thief. Follows the journey of a young thief named Lucian, on a simple mission for revenge. Unforunately for him, nothing is ever simple.
1. Prolouge

**Prologue**

It was high noon, and Old Quarter's streets were bustling with activity. People chatting loudly and hurrying about, each oblivious to the others worries. One man was oblivious to everything, the people, the worries, even the sun. Leonard Skye, a 42 year-old freelance blade, was still in bed, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. He began mumbling something in his sleep and rolled over, falling onto the hard wooden floor. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Ugh... time to get up already?" he yawned, looking around his bedroom. There was a small table in the corner, it held almost a dozen empty liquor bottles. On the chair next to it was his armor and sword, both were old and a bit rusty in places, but it was all he had, and could afford. He shakily stood up, still off balance from being half asleep, or maybe it was too much liquor last night.

After having lunch and putting on his armor, he began walking to Connoly Manor. He had taken a job there as extra security for an auction they were holding. Although the only people that knew it was an auction were the guards and guests, everyone else heard that it was just a normal party. Jacob Connoly, the person holding the auction, thought that would be the best option to keep thieves away.

Leonard stared at the mansion before him, wondering why anyone would need a house that big. He was quickly brought to his senses as someone shouted at him.

"Hey! What're you doing there?"

Leonard looked ahead at the guard rushing toward him and waved. "Hello, I'm Leonard Skye, Lord Connoly hired me as a guard for this... special occasion."

"Hmm... Skye..." the guard thought for a moment. "Oh right, right, I remember you now. You were the guy that fell down the staircase on your way out!" he laughed.

"I was just excited about actually getting the job, so I wasn't really watching my step." Leonard chuckled, a bit embarrassed.

"I'm William Rhodes, you can call me Will. I'm one of the night watchmen for Lord Connoly."

"Nice to meet you Will, would you mind taking me to the Guard Captain's office? I think falling down those stairs did something to my head." Leonard laughed.

"Of course, follow me Leonard." Will said, turning back toward the mansion.

"Call me Leo."

Two hours crept by, Leonard sat upon the steps in front the manor, staring sleepily at the gate. Watching the sun setting in the distance was relaxing. He jumped as someone spoke behind him.

"Sleeping on the job?"

Leonard looked back, Will was standing behind him, grinning.

"You'll never get a full time guarding job if you can't stay awake."

"I just need some money, never thought about getting a permanent job. It would be boring staying in one place for too long." Leonard sighed, standing up.

"True, but at least you wouldn't be worrying about how to pay for your next meal all the time. You could probably get a job here, Lord Connoly doesn't hire people unless he likes them."

"Hmm... I'll have to think about it."

"I hope you do, I don't get along very well with the other guards."

"I don't see why... eh?" Leonard caught a glimpse of something moving in the bushes by the gate, he put his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly began approaching the bushes, signaling for Will to follow.

Leonard stood a few feet from the bushes, "If someone's in there, come out slowly. You can't kill both of us." He shouted.

The leaves rustled, Leonard and Will both unsheathed their swords, preparing for a fight. A young woman with long red hair emerged from the bushes, she was wearing a very dark green robe and looking a bit irritated.

"I don't recall saying I wanted to kill anyone. Besides, I'm not really prepared to do such a thing." She said coldly, crossing her arms.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Will asked, pointing his sword at her.

"That's a bit rude isn't it? You didn't even introduce yourself first." She said, glaring at him.

"Why you..."

"Calm down..." Leonard said, lowering his sword. "I'm Leonard, and this is William. Would you mind telling us why you were hiding in that shrub?"

"Hmph... I'm Mia, I heard they were holding an auction here tonight and that something was going to be sold called Lorin's Might. I've heard legends about it, and wanted to actually see what it looked like. Legends usually make everything sound more grand than they truly are. I hoped to see if that was the case with this one. If not, it is supposed to be beautiful, golden and adorned with gems." She said, followed by a dreamy sigh.

Leonard and Will stared at her blankly, she sure did sound like a thief, but didn't appear to be equipped for breaking into a house.

"Then you two taffers had to go and ruin my chances of ever laying eyes on it!" She yelled at them, making a fist.

Leonard sighed, looking over at Will. "Well that was a waste of time."

Will nodded, lowering his sword. "Get out of here, we don't have time to deal with someone like you."

"How rude! I won't forget this!" Mia shouted, storming out the gate.

Leonard and Will shook their heads, and walked back to the front door. Two guards exited the mansion, informing them of the sudden change in guard positions. The best guards were to be at the front and back entrances. Will and Leonard were sent to guard the second floor hallway and staircase, to ensure no guests found their way upstairs.

Will stood at the top of the staircase, looking down. Leonard was pacing the long hallway, getting a bit tired.

"From one boring post to the other, eh Leo?" Will chuckled, glancing over at him.

"Indeed."

"Want to trade for a while? My knees are getting stiff."

"I'd love to." Leonard grinned, taking over Will's position atop the staircase.

After a few minutes Leonard heard something odd, "Will... what is that?"

"Hmm?" Will walked over to him and listened.

It didn't sound like much was happening down there, then a high pitched scream pierced the silence.

"What the hell!" Will said, quickly running down the staircase, Leonard close behind him.

The screams were coming from the dining hall, where the auction was taking place. The clang of metal was barely heard over the screaming. When they opened the dining hall door a sight of chaos was before them. Dismembered corpses littered the floor, which was stained red with blood. Three large cloaked figures wielding massive swords were attacking anyone still alive, cleaving people in half with little effort. Leonard watched in horror as Will rushed forward, blinded by fury as one of the figures approached Lord Connoly, who was pressed up against the wall.

Will struck the unknown person in the back, but his sword didn't cut through whatever armor the person had under their cloak. The cloaked person turned, swinging his sword at Will, who jumped back just in time. However, he didn't notice the second person coming up behind him. A flash of light reflected off the blade, into Leonard's eyes as the sword tore through Will.

Leonard stared, frozen in fear as the first cloaked figure turned and thrust it's sword into Lord Connoly. Why was he just standing there doing nothing? He watched Will and Lord Connoly be murdered in front of his eyes and yet he couldn't do a thing. He took a step forward and felt a sharp pain through his body, looking down he saw a bloody sword sticking out of his chest. A fourth cloaked figure had gotten behind him while he was frozen in fear.

Leonard fell forward as the sword was pulled from his back, landing on his side. He looked up at the person who stabbed him, their face was covered in shadow. Leonard attempted to draw his sword, but he wasn't fast enough. The figure had already raised and brought down their sword before Leonard's was halfway out of his sheath. He felt the blade strike the side of his neck, and everything went black.


	2. The Thief

**Chapter 1: The Thief**

The streets of Stonemarket were virtually deserted, apart from a few City Watch officers. A figure was slipping from one shadow to the next, unseen by the City Watch. It stopped in front of a door, glancing down the road to see if anyone was coming, before quickly entering without a sound. A balding man with a large, bushy mustache sat at a table, reading a book by candle light. He looked up as the hooded figure entered his home and grinned.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while Lucian. How have you been?" he asked, setting down his book.

Lucian pulled back his hood, revealing his unkempt short black hair and silvery-blue eyes. "Horrible Uncle Gregory, I haven't had a decent meal in weeks. How about you?"

Gregory leaned on the table, a sad look in his eyes. "Did you hear about the slaughter at Connoly Manor a couple nights ago?"

"Yes, I can't believe it. Over two dozen people torn limb from limb... and they have no idea who did it or why. It's unthinkable..." Lucian said, crossing his arms.

"Well... my brother was there when it happened. He was working as a hired blade for the party since they didn't have many guards there. He..." Gregory trailed off, lost in thought.

"Uncle Leo is..." Lucian muttered, staring at Gregory. He couldn't believe his ears.

After a minute of silence, Gregory spoke. "We... can talk about it later... I have some information for you. It's about a job."

"You sure you want to..."

"Yes, yes... this is the best way for me to keep from getting too depressed... I have to keep my mind off it."

"Ok, so what is it?" Lucian asked, sitting down across the table from Gregory.

"It's actually something Leo told me. The real reason they hired extra guards at that mansion. Doesn't it seem a little odd that they would hire freelancers for a simple party?"

"That does seem unusual, but Jacob Connoly wasn't a person with much common sense."

"He had more than most people know. There was no party at all, that was just a lie spread to keep thieves away. They were actually holding a private auction with all sorts of valuable antiques."

"Then it wasn't just a random slaughter, someone was after the antiques?"

"That's what I thought, but after doing a little snooping of my own, I found out that only one thing had been taken. A golden axe called Lorin's Might. I don't know much about the background of it though, you'd be better off asking a scholar about that."

"I see... thank you Uncle, I'll look into it." Lucian said, getting up and walking toward the door.

"One more thing boy." Gregory said, turning to him.

Lucian gripped the door handle tightly, he hated being called boy, he was almost 17. Though with what had happened he didn't feel like complaining about it as he usually did. "Yes Uncle?"

"I also talked to someone that was passing by on the night it happened, they said a girl was lurking outside the mansion before the attack. She looked to be about 18 with long red hair."

"Sounds suspicious... I'll keep an eye out for her as well." Lucian said, pulling up his hood and opening the door. "Farewell." Lucian dashed out the door silently, into the shadows and back down the road.

Gregory sighed, picking up his book. "Lucian... don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Lucian stood in the shadows outside the Connoly manor. Peering through the barred gates he counted five guards, more than double what he saw last time he passed this way. He looked up and down the road, a few more large homes lined the street, but he couldn't exactly go around knocking on doors for information.

Lucian sighed and closed his eyes, wondering what to do. "Where would someone go after being thrown out?" He muttered, talking to himself. "A teenage girl... if she was a thief she might try to go back in... but it seems unlikely. What's down the road from here?" he leaned against the stone wall, glancing to his left. "That way would make sense, there are more buildings in that direction, including a pub. However... if she knew about something odd like that axe." he turned his attention to the right. "She could hang around that little building with those books..."

After thinking for a few moments he heard footsteps approaching from his left. A well-dressed couple were holding hands, walking in his direction. They stopped in front of the Connoly Manor, only a couple feet from Lucian.

"Poor Jacob..." The woman said sadly. "He was always such fun to be around."

"I know Caroline, such a tragic end. I pray they find the monsters responsible for it and execute them. I'd like to be the one to do it." The man said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"My dear Raymond, you and I both know you couldn't do such a thing. You faint at the mere thought of blood." Caroline said, smiling at him.

Raymond let out a sigh. "True... I'm just not able to hurt anyone... that's your job dearest." he chuckled slightly, smiling back at her.

Lucian tried not to choke, nobles and love were two of the few things that made him sick. He figured if these two knew Lord Connoly, maybe they knew something about the incident. "Excuse me." He said, stepping out of the shadows, but forgetting to lower his hood.

The couple jumped at his sudden appearance. "W-what do you want?" Raymond asked, taking a couple steps backwards. Caroline didn't move back, but her hand moved to the bag she was holding.

"Calm down... I'm not here to rob you." Lucian said, crossing his arms. "I want you to tell me anything you know about what happened here when... well, you know."

Caroline stared at Lucian suspiciously for a moment before answering him. "I only know what my friend Emelia told me. She said a woman with long red hair was sneaking around sometime before it happened."

"I know about that already. Did she see which way the girl ran after being thrown out?"

"She ran off in that direction." Caroline said, pointing behind Lucian.

"I see, thank you for your time." Lucian said, turning to leave.

"Are you trying to find out what happened?" Raymond spoke up, taking a step toward him.

"Yes." Lucian said, not turning back.

"Are you a member of the City Watch?"

"Do I look like one of those taffers?"

"Well... no, but if you're not, why are you trying to find out what happened?"

Lucian stood silently for a moment, then looked over his shoulder at them. "Revenge. Someone I cared about was a victim of that slaughter. I won't rest until I find out who did it and why, that's all."

"I see... best of luck to you."

"Thanks." Lucian said coldly, turning his attention to the road ahead. "What's your last name?"

"Berne, why?"

"Just curious. Farewell." Lucian said, before dashing down the street.

Lucian walked through the streets, staying in the shadows until a decrepit old building came into view. A lit candle sat on the windowsill, illuminating a woman's pale face inside the building. Lucian walked up to the door, it opened with a high pitched creak. The woman inside was reading something, not bothering to look up.

"I was wondering when you'd get here, what you wanted is on the table." she said with a yawn.

"I doubt it's something I'd want, I've never been here before." Lucian said, stepping into the building. A few bookshelves stood against the walls, each one covered in dust, with only a few books. Spider webs overtook the corners of the room, and there was a cool breeze coming from somewhere even though the door and windows were closed.

The woman looked up as he spoke. "Well, what are you doing here then?"

"I'm looking for someone, a girl with long red hair."

"What's her name?"

"If I knew that, finding her would be a lot easier."

"Well... the girl that's supposed to pick this book up has long red hair, maybe she's the one you're looking for." The door suddenly creaked open. "Well speak of the devil. Here she is now."

"Hi Abby, do you have what I asked for? Oh..." she stopped when she saw Lucian. "Who's this?"

Lucian stared at her silently from under his hood, she fit the vague description he was given.

"Seems he's been looking for you. The book you wanted is on the table." Abby said, gesturing to the dusty old book.

"Looking for me? If you're trying to set me up on a date I'm not interested Abby." the girl said, a bit irritated. She picked up the book, wiping some of the dust off it.

"I just want to know if you were the one that was thrown out of Connoly manor a few nights ago. You fit the description well." Lucian said, looking her over.

She walked over to one of the bookshelves, picking up another dusty book. "I don't know anything about that." she mumbled.

"You can't lie to me. You're the one aren't you?" Lucian asked.

"I'm..." she began, before spinning around and throwing the book she took from the shelf at Lucian. He was able to catch it but the impact caused dust from the book to scatter everywhere. Lucian choked on the dust as the girl charged out the door.

Lucian chased after her, she was as fast as he was, keeping her in sight was all he could do. She did everything she could trying to escape, from knocking over barrels behind her to yelling out for the City Watch. Although a few of the Watch tried to help, both Lucian and the girl were too fast for them to keep up with. Soon the girl had ducked into an alleyway, one Lucian knew was a dead end. He skidded to a halt in front of the alley.

"Caught you." Lucian panted, looking down the alleyway. "What the..." The alley was empty, apart from a couple barrels and some old liquor bottles. He walked slowly in, looking behind and inside the barrels. He knew he saw her go this way, how could she just vanish?

"Damn!" Lucian shouted, kicking one of the discarded bottles. He leaned against the wall, thinking. "So much for that..." he sighed, looking down. Then he noticed something odd about the bottle he kicked. The lower half looked like it was sticking out of the wall, but the bottle wasn't broken. He slowly walked over and gave it a light push with his foot, it spun a little, and the neck appeared out of the wall.

"What the..." Lucian muttered, wondering how a bottle could pass through solid stone. He put his hand out and tried to touch the stone wall. His hand disappeared into the stone, but he didn't feel anything, just air. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and stepped forward into the stone, waiting for the cold, hard wall to strike his forehead. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and found himself in a long, narrow passageway.

"A trick wall... how interesting." Lucian mumbled, looking back at the wall. From this side it looked like an archway. "Well then, lets see what you've got to hide." He grinned, walking cautiously down the dim passage.

Lucian walked for a while, wondering just how deep it went. Eventually he arrived at an archway, but couldn't see more than a few inches ahead. He slowly stepped into the darkness, drawing his dagger. There was a loud crash behind him as the passage behind him was blocked by a sliding stone door.

A girls voice echoed in the darkness. "Fool. No one can know of us. I cannot let you live."

"Who are you, and what are you talking about? I only wanted to ask you a few things." Lucian said, waiting for something to happen.

"You're going to die, so why go into details?" There was a burst of flame in every corner of the room as four large torches lit simultaneously, lighting up the entire room. The girl with long red hair was standing on the other side of the room, holding a broadsword. "My name is Mia, be thankful you at least know the name of your executioner!" She shouted, before charging at Lucian.


	3. Keepers and Scribes

**Chapter 2: Keepers and Scribes**

The dimly lit halls of the library were silent. A lone figure wearing a dark green robe walked slowly along, the light from his torch illuminating the cold stone passage. He stopped outside an open door, and looked into a small room. Countless books covered the walls, and a large, round table sat in the center of the room. A man with short brown hair was sitting with his back to the door, a few books were stacked neatly in front of him.

"Still waiting Allen?" The person with the torch asked.

The man at the table glanced over his shoulder. "Oh... Keeper Vern. Yes, she's always late."

"That girl... becoming a keeper would be simple for someone with her talent, if only she could stay focused." Vern sighed, stepping into the room.

"She's just so impatient. She wants to see what's in the forbidden library for some reason... I don't know why though." Allen sighed.

"Does she? That's interesting... I wonder..." Vern mumbled.

An irritated voice came from the hallway. "Talking about me behind my back huh? That's really rude you know."

Vern and Allen turned to see a girl with long red hair and an annoyed look on her face standing in the doorway.

"Mia, where have you been?" Allen asked.

"Sorry, I ran into some problems, nothing important." Mia said, sitting down next to Allen.

"I'll be going now." Vern said, leaving the room before Allen or Mia could say anything.

"I wonder if he's okay... he seemed troubled by something." Allen thought aloud.

"I've no idea. It's probably nothing to do with us anyway." Mia lied. She knew it was because Allen told him about her interest in the forbidden library. Telling Allen secrets is a mistake she made constantly, since Allen was too daft to keep them secret for long.

After two long hours of study with Allen, Mia left, saying she had to get some sleep. She followed the twisting corridors, going nowhere near the place she slept. She stopped outside a door, making sure she was alone before slipping in quietly. It was a small study hall, lined with desks for her fellow scribes that were seeking to become keepers. It was late though, so the hall was empty except for the books stacked neatly on the desks. Mia smiled, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat.

"It's only me, you can stop hiding." she said, looking around the room.

A hooded figure stepped from the shadows. "It's about time you arrived. I was starting to wonder if maybe you left me here to die." he said.

"I don't plan to let you die, not unless you betray me. We both want the same thing don't we?" Mia said.

"I guess so. Of course, there's the chance that you're lying to me." he said coldly.

"Don't be stupid. I have a feeling this is far too important to make up. That's why I need you to get that book from the forbidden library for me." Mia said, walking over to him. "We each have our reasons, right?"

The hooded man sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. Can I at least have my dagger back?"

"No. I'm not giving you the chance to hurt anyone. You can have it back when you get me what I want."

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "You really are a pain..."

"And you'd be pretty cute if it wasn't for that attitude." Mia grinned as she reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his short black hair and silvery blue eyes. "Lucian, was it?"

"Yes, but there's no reason for you to remember it. Once you tell me what I want to know, I'm out of here." Lucian said coldly. "The only reason I'm here in the first place is to learn who killed my uncle, remember that."

"Oh please... are you forgetting who could have killed you earlier? You work for me, I spare your life, and we both gain the information we want. Simple."

Lucian cursed under his breath. Being forced into work like this was something he truly hated, especially since this girl acted like such a jerk. Even if she was lying, he had no choice but to get her what she wanted.

"Are you ready? Now is the best time to go." Mia said, walking over to the door.

"I just want to get this over with." Lucian grumbled, pulling his hood back up and following after Mia. "It had better be worth it."

Mia walked through the dim, empty halls. Lucian found it eerie, he thought a place that seemed to be so important would have more guards. Mia glanced back occasionally, wondering if Lucian was still behind her. If he was, he kept himself hidden well. Mia grinned, thinking she might actually be able to pull this off. She opened a door, making sure the room was empty before entering, Lucian crept in a moment later.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Lucian said, looking around the room. They were in a small storage area filled with extra chairs and bookshelves. "What is this?"

"I found it while trying to figure out a way into the forbidden library." Mia said, pulling out a crate that was against the wall. "It's one of a couple hidden entrances. The others were too risky."

"Okay... so now tell me. What exactly am I supposed to get again?" Lucian asked.

Mia turned to him, sitting down on the crate. "I've only done a bit of snooping around in there, I'm not very good at the stealth thing. I prefer being more direct. From what I've seen in there the book I want should be two floors up from where this takes you. That's all I know."

Lucian sighed. "Can you at least give me a title?"

"Oh... sorry. I'm not sure what it would be either. Just look for something that lists artifacts or antique weaponry, I'm not positive where you could find them." Mia chuckled.

"You are no help at all..." Lucian grumbled.

"Oh yeah?!" Mia said, standing up and raising her hand. "Watch this!" She slapped the wall.

Lucian stared blankly for a moment, waiting for something to happen. "What?"

"Huh?" Mia muttered nervously. "Wh... where'd the glyph go?!" she panicked, examining the wall. "Crap... did they seal this entrance?!"

Lucian shook his head, leaning against the wall. "What a waste of time..."

"This was open yesterday! I... oh... wait a minute..."

"What now?"

Mia turned around, walking over to the other wall and sliding a crate out of the way. "No wonder, that was the wrong wall." she laughed.

"I still don't see any passageway."

"That's why it's called a hidden passage, idiot." Mia said, touching the wall. The wall started to shine brightly for a moment, then faded, revealing a small tunnel. "There's the way in, you remember what to do, right?"

"Yeah..." Lucian got on his knees, looking into the dark tunnel. "Are you sure about this?"

"I've been through there plenty of times. There's a turn to the right and then left, after that it's straight on to the forbidden library. It comes out in a place that's usually empty, I've never been much further than that."

"You're a great help." Lucian said sarcastically.

"Shut up and get moving!" Mia said a bit louder than she meant to, giving Lucian a firm kick in the back.

"I'm going, I'm going... geez, what a..." Lucian's next word was muffled by the sound of Mia moving the crate back in front of the passage. He looked back for a moment before crawling further through the pitch black tunnel. "I thought she said there was a tur-" Lucian was cut off as his head struck a wall. He groaned, turning right and continuing toward the forbidden library.

After hitting his head against the wall at the next turn, Lucian found himself at a dead end. He placed his hand against the wall, but nothing happened. It felt like wood instead of stone, unlike the other walls. He pushed on it and it slowly slid away from the wall. Lucian crawled out of the tunnel, his back a bit sore. The room he was in looked almost exactly like the one he left, but there weren't as many chairs piled in the corner.

Lucian stepped up to the door, listening for voices on the other side. Not a sound, not as much as a footstep. He went out the door and kept to the shadows, hoping to get what Mia wanted without any trouble. Unfortunately, trouble always seemed to find him. He came to a large room at the end of a hallway with two people in it, they were sitting at a large table in the center of the room. They seemed to be discussing something, but Lucian wasn't interested. He turned to try a different hall he had passed a short while ago when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway behind him.

Lucian hurried along the edge of the room as quickly as he could without being seen, quickly hiding between one of the bookcases and a desk by the wall. Not a second after he got there, someone stepped into the room and spoke.

"Excuse my interruption, but Keeper Leon has asked me to give you this." He said, handing a book to one of the people sitting at the table. Before they could respond, the person left as quickly as he had entered.

"I wonder why Gregory's in such a hurry... what did he give you Mary?"

"Notes about... oh, that's interesting." Mary mumbled.

"Something important?" he asked, but got no reply. "Mary?"

"Nemo... read this." Mary said abruptly, handing him the book.

"A... all right, I don't see what could be so..." Nemo trailed off, staring at the book. "Oh my... so it's true."

"It is according to Leon." Mary said, leaning back in her chair. "I wonder when it will happen though."

"It looks like things are already in motion." Nemo muttered, turning the page. "Leon will probably call a meeting about this so-" he was cut off as someone else entered the room.

"Keeper Nemo, Keeper Mary. Leon requests the both of you in his study." the newcomer said seriously.

"That was sooner than expected. Shall we?" Nemo said, standing up quickly.

"Yes..." Mary mumbled, following the other keeper as he left the room.

Lucian peeked around the corner as they left through the hall he had come from. As he did his foot slipped, bumping the desk he was by and knocking an unlit candle over. Nemo turned back, hearing it fall.

"Who's there?" Nemo asked, taking a step toward where Lucian was hiding.

Lucian pressed himself up against the wall, if he got caught here he had no hope. No weapon in reach thanks to Mia, and the footsteps were slowly coming closer.


	4. Guesswork

**Chapter 3: Guesswork**

"Nemo, would you hurry up?" Mary yelled.

"Huh? Oh, right... Leon. I just thought I heard something." Nemo said, now standing less than a foot from Lucian's hiding place.

"It was probably a rat, come on. Leon won't be happy if you make him wait again." Mary said.

"Coming..." Nemo muttered.

Lucian breathed a sigh of relief as the footsteps faded into the distance, "That was too close." He got up, making sure that nobody else was around and heading for the doorway leading deeper into the library. A book laying open on the table caught his eye, it looked like the one those two had been reading before they left. Lucian walked over and picked it up, reading what it was open to. It was written in some language or code he had never seen before, but before he could even consider stealing it, Lucian suddenly heard footsteps coming from the hall behind him.

"I can't believe you forgot the book, idiot!" A voice said, Lucian recognized it is Mary's.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Nemo sighed.

Lucian set the book back down and darted through the other door just as the two keepers returned to the room.

"See, right where I left it. Nothing to worry about." Lucian heard Nemo say as he pressed his ear against the door.

"Nothing!? If he, or one of his friends found this out, there'd be hell to pay." Mary whispered.

"You've got a point, Glenn can be a real jerk sometimes, but he's nothing compared to... well, you know." Nemo said.

"Come on, Leon and the others will be waiting."

"Who's Glenn and this other guy they were talking about? Hmm..." Lucian pondered for a moment, waiting until the footsteps faded. "Only one way to find out." He slowly opened the door, making sure the room was empty before dashing through and chasing after the two keepers. He easily caught up, and kept a fair distance behind them. Down a couple corridors, left, right, right again, up a staircase, Lucian began to wonder if he would ever find his way back to the passage out. He turned another corner after the two he was following and came to an abrupt stop.

A long room stretched out before him. Even more bookcases lined the walls, and a huge table sat in the middle that nearly went from one end of the room to another. Two grand chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving the room a brightness that, up until this point, Lucian didn't think was possible in a place like this. Three Keepers were sitting at the table, each of them glanced at Nemo and Mary as they passed through the room and climbed a spiral staircase in the far corner of the room.

"So much for that plan." Lucian muttered, turning away from the room and heading back the way he came.

Once again he found himself wandering through seemingly endless hallways, occasionally passing a Keeper or dark room, but still unable to find another staircase upstairs like the one he saw in the bright room. It had been over ten minutes before he finally decided to head back to the bright room and try to figure out a way safely across it. On his way back, he passed by one of many dark rooms, the door was slightly ajar and whispers were coming from the other side.

Lucian crouched by the door, listening carefully. A man's voice was whispering angrily at someone. "...ow that? It's getting to be a problem. Unfortunately I'm already under too much suspicion as it is, so I don't dare try to stop them directly."

Another man's voice, much older than the first, answered. "I know that as well. That little group is getting close according to my source though. I'm also a bit suspicious of a certain scribe, one of them has gotten interest in the forbidden library. I suppose it's not unusual for them but still... this one's different."

"You mean the boy Artemis brought to us recently? I highly doubt it. Artemis himself is more of a threat."

"Not the child. Her name is Mia, she has talent and curiosity. If she heard about this it would surely get her interest considering..."

"Oh yes, her. She's one of the few I'd gladly be rid of, along with those annoyances Leon and Artemis. It's a shame it would ruin my plans."

"If you'd like, I could take care of her for you."

"No. We can't take any chances. I need you for other things. Just keep an eye on that girl for now, maybe we can use her."

"As you wish. I had better be going now, I have to meet someone else."

At this, Lucian quickly moved away from the door and behind a small table in the hallway. He waited for one of the men to leave, but nobody came through the doorway. He hesitated a moment before sneaking back over and peering in the room. It was empty, another door across the room was open. Lucian grumbled something under his breath and turned away. Following everyone that was suspicious would keep him here forever, and that didn't have anything to do with the book he needed to find. If these people had a problem with Mia, he couldn't care less, as long as they didn't stop her from giving him the information he needed it wasn't his problem.

Lucian hurried down the winding halls and soon found himself once again staring into the large, brightly-lit room. There was now only one Keeper in the room, muttering something quietly and looking though a bookcase with his back to the room. Lucian dashed silently across the room, taking the chance that no other Keepers would come down the staircase he was running for. He was halfway up the staircase by the time the keeper at the bookshelf turned back to the table.

A short hallway greeted him, there was a door at the end and two more on each side. Lucian crept along, glancing into the rooms as he passed them. Each one had at least two Keepers inside, leaving Lucian to wonder how he was supposed to find a book if he couldn't find an empty room to search through. As he passed by the fourth door, a woman's voice made him stop.

"Leon, what are you looking for?"

Lucian looked into the room, a woman with long blonde hair was sitting at a table covered by books, and a man with short black hair was searching through a bookshelf.

"I'm trying to find that book again. I know it was in this room." Leon said.

"The one that started this obsession of yours? Who would have thought a book about artifacts could start such a thing." the woman said.

_Artifacts? If these people find it interesting, maybe it's one Mia would be happy with._ Lucian thought.

"It should be right here." Leon said, pointing at an empty spot on the shelf. "Is it in that pile you have, Anita?"

"Oh, yes. I got it shortly before you arrived. It's right... wait, that's not it." Anita mumbled, looking through the books on the table. "I thought I put it right here, it must have gotten mixed in with the others..."

As the two keepers dug through the books on the table, Lucian noticed one on the ground nearby. It was too far to go after without being noticed, and Mia had taken all his tools. He searched though his pockets, hoping she might have missed something, but all he could find was pocket lint and a couple coins. He took one of the coins and tossed it into the far corner.

"Did you hear something?" Leon muttered, glancing toward the corner after the coin landed.

The second they both looked away, Lucian stepped in as quickly and quietly as he could, grabbed the book on the floor and hurried out of the room. He continued down the hall and the staircase, stopping just before the bottom so he could read the book's title. The cover was blank, and everything inside it was written in the same unusual text as the one he had seen earlier. He cursed under his breath and closed the book, slipping it into one of his cloak's pockets.

The Keeper that had been in the room when Lucian went upstairs was gone, and most of the candles in the room had been put out. Lucian made his way through the room, down another staircase, through more winding hallways and doing his best to remember the way he had taken on his way in. After a few wrong turns and close calls, he managed to find the room with the passage out. He made sure there was nobody in the hall before closing the door, moving the crate out of the way and crawling into the narrow passage out of this confusing labyrinth.

Lucian once again struck his head at each of the turns, and then on the crate blocking the exit. He slid it out of the way, and immediately heard a girl's voice.

"It's about time you got here! I've been waiting almost two hours!" Mia whispered crossly, grabbing Lucian's hood and pulling him out of the tunnel. "Did you find one?"

"It would have been easier if you had told me everything in there was written in code, and shown me how to read some of it!" Lucian snapped, pushing her arm away.

"Not so loud, do you want all your efforts to be wasted by getting us both caught?!" Mia said sternly, glancing at the door. "Now give me what you found."

Lucian grumbled something, removing the book from his pocket and handing it to Mia. She quickly flipped through the pages, Lucian couldn't tell if she was even taking the time to read any of it, or if she could. "Well?"

Mia looked up in surprise, as if she had forgotten he was there. "Oh, yes. This should tell me everything I want to know, except..."

"Except what?"

"Well, we'll worry about that when we come to it." Mia slipped the book into her robe and walked over to the door. "I had better show you the way out now. We have to be quick and silent, so I'll tell you now. Meet me outside that bookstore at midnight in three days, I should have some answers by then."

"How do I know you'll even show up?"

"I only know how to get background information on these things. Finding out where they are now and getting them is why I need your help. Without you or some other thief, this is a hopeless effort. At least with you I don't have to worry about motivation. You want to avenge your uncle, don't you?"

Lucian didn't reply, but Mia could tell by his expression the answer was yes.

"Good, now let's get you out of here."

Lucian walked slowly down the street, keeping an eye out for the city watch. He was glad to be out of that place, but annoyed that he didn't get a decent explanation from Mia. Before he knew it, he had come to South Quarter. He crept down the main road, avoiding the lone watchman that was patrolling the street, and turned down an alley. He walked through the old wooden door at the end of it, down a narrow hallway and stopped at the third door on the left. He removed a key from his pocket and went to unlock the door, but it swung open before he ever touched it. The next thing Lucian knew, someone had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him inside.


End file.
